Howard feels lost without Rockets

Four weeks seems like an eternity for 10-year veteran

MEGAN MANFULL, Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CST, Thursday, March 17, 2005

Juwan Howard had to remind himself that he doesn't cry. That was the only thing that came to his mind Tuesday when doctors told the Rockets forward he would miss at least four weeks of the season with a right knee sprain suffered against Golden State on Monday.

Four weeks seemed like forever to Howard, a 10-year veteran who has never missed more than a handful of games at a time because of an injury.

"I heard four to six weeks, and of course, it almost brought me to tears," said Howard, who has averaged 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds this season. "But I said, 'I'm a man. Don't cry.'

"I like to be out there on that court. I'm not used to sitting down and watching. Right now, this is a bad time for it. As we know, the playoffs are a month and a half away."

Howard didn't have to remind his teammates of the playoffs. While panic didn't exactly set in for the Rockets before Wednesday's 108-77 victory over Portland, a bit of concern was apparent.

Clarence Weatherspoon started in place of Howard and split the minutes with Scott Padgett. With a focus mostly on defense and rebounds, Weatherspoon and Padgett combined for seven points and 11 boards.

But the Rockets are aware they'll miss more than Howard's numbers in the next few weeks.

"Juwan is definitely a big loss," Tracy McGrady said. "It's a big loss. I've been playing with him two years and enjoy playing with him. He brings so much knowledge and professionalism to this team. We're going to miss that."

Howard was a little disoriented when he arrived at Toyota Center on crutches Wednesday. Instead of joining his teammates on the court, he stayed in the locker room for rehabilitation — an activity he expected would be much easier for him than watching the game.

"Whatever the doctors say, whatever the trainers say, I'm going to do whatever they tell me and then some," Howard said. "I'm going to try not to overdo it. I'm going to try my best not to rush back. But that's me saying that now.

"After looking at the game today and noticing I'm not out there, my competitive juices are going to get to flowing. And like I was kidding my wife on my way over here, I said, 'Hey, don't be surprised if you see me out on the court shooting free throws.' "

Howard has no intention of vanishing for the next four weeks. He said hanging out with his teammates will be one of the only ways to help him keep his sanity while he is unable to play.

Rockets guard David Wesley said he understands how difficult it must be for Howard, especially considering the Rockets are on a six-game winning streak. When Howard was injured, he was also playing the best he had all season. The Rockets credit his consistent rebounding effort for helping them win 14 of their last 18 games before Wednesday.

"It's a lot of frustration because of how much fun we're having," Wesley said. "I guarantee if this was a terrible season, he would have been like, 'Oh, well.' But we're having a lot of fun. We're running up and down, he's playing well, and he's been a big part of what we've been doing. That makes it very difficult to be sitting down now."